The present invention relates generally to landscape edging devices for defining boundaries of lawns and/or planting beds, and more specifically to an edging apparatus having the capability of watering desired plants.
Landscape edging is provided in many forms, including brick, concrete, stone, metal, treated wood, and plastic. Of these, plastic edging has significant advantages, in that it is relatively inexpensive and easy to manipulate during installation. Also, plastic edging does not rot or rust, and requires little if any maintenance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,786 to Rynberk discloses plastic edging in which an upper tubular portion of the edging is used as a water conduit to which a conventional garden hose may be connected. The user must puncture holes into the conduit at locations where it is desired to water specific plants.
A significant disadvantage of such a system relates to the fact that the plastic material used to manufacture the edging must be sufficiently thick for structural and durability considerations. As such, the act of puncturing the cylindrical tubular portion is difficult, and potentially dangerous if performed with a dull tool or improvised utensil, of the type often used by recreational gardeners. When several plants are present, multiple holes are required, entailing a substantial amount of labor and time in positioning and creating the holes.
Furthermore, the size and position of the hole or holes must be accurate to ensure that the right amount of water reaches the plant at a specific location for optimum results, and maintains proper pressure in the conduits for plants farther from the source of water. Also, in cases where plants are moved from year to year, the location of a specific watering aperture may no longer be appropriate, decreasing the utility of the edging.
Another disadvantage of conventional plastic edging adapted for sprinkling is that it is difficult to install evenly in the ground, and results in an unsightly, nonuniform landscape border. Installation is accomplished by digging an elongate trench of approximately 4-6 inches in depth, inserting a depending web portion of the edging into the trench, and refilling the trench to retain the web in place. A common problem is the inability to dig a trench of sufficient or uniform depth, which causes the edging to appear uneven in the ground. This problem is especially evident when long segments of edging are required, necessitating bulky and often unsightly coupling arrangements. The point of coupling in many cases further detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the edging.
Thus, there is a need for a sprinkler and edging apparatus which provides prepunctured watering apertures capable of watering multiple plants without requiring extensive labor in positioning and puncturing the tubular portion of the edging. There is also a need for such edging which is constructed so that when adjacent sections of edging must be coupled to form long segments, the coupling apparatus is aesthetically pleasing and does not disrupt the overall uniform appearance of the edging.